For dramatics, for spontaneity, for newness, and for the relief of ending a decade-and-a-half long playoff drought, nothing will top Clinch Night, 2010.

This one was a little more inevitable than the title the Reds won two years ago, it was a little more expected, and the expectations for the Reds are lot bigger than merely winning a division this time around.

But in a way, yesterday's clincher was a little sweeter.

As LA's outs dwindled and the Reds runs mounted, the ballpark took on the feel of a good New Year's Eve party.  Still seeming hungover and a little deflated from the night before, the crowd took a few innings to come to life.

Jay Bruce's homer in the fifth woke the yard up a little, Frazier's single that made it 2-0 jolted the crowd just a little, and when Brandon went deep in the seventh, everyone knew that the party was on.

The final three runs actually seemed like an annoyance, like we wanted the Reds to get their last licks in quick so we could continue counting down outs.

Meanwhile, Mat Latos was coming up huge.  And while yesterday's game might not have been big, the moment was.  And him winning that game yesterday was appropriate.  The day the Reds made the deal for him, it became clear that the goal was to win, win now, and win big.  Mat Latos was not just a pitcher on the staff, or the key pawn in a trade we'll be talking about for years, but a symbol of the direction the Reds finally decided to go in and a plan that they finally put in place.

So is Aroldis Chapman.

Think of the best party you've been to.  Imagine that at it's absolute peak, someone rolled in two fresh kegs of beer.  The GABP reaction when the bullpen gate opened and The Missile started jogging to the mound was like that.

He might not have been dominant, but he was on the mound.  For a day, that was good enough.

Those last few innings, the final six outs or so, were sweet.  As each Dodger hitter was retired, fans had a chance to enjoy the moment, maybe while reflecting on the last five and a half months, maybe while thinking of bigger battles to be won next month.

Maybe with someone, maybe alone.

Maybe at the ballpark, maybe at home.

Either way, the final few moments leading up to the clinching and the postgame celebration were why you root for a team in the first place, the rare chance to enjoy the buildup without the nail-biting, living-room pacing, and I-can't-watch-this eye-covering that so often accompanies a team's most important moments.

(And if you tried to watch postgame coverage on Fox Sports Ohio, sadly, the final few outs were all you got.)

It might not have been the biggest game of 2012 and the somewhat muted postgame party may or may not be the last one the Reds have this season, but the counting down to the clinching yesterday afternoon was among the most fun experiences I've ever had at a sporting event.

Hopefully the fun is just beginning.

Ever have someone who offers you a ticket to a game you'd otherwise have very little chance of seeing?  My friend Lisa Braun is that person.  She made it possible for me to be there yesterday, I know she reads this blog, and though she could have taken almost anyone, she let me attend with her so I could be there for the clinching.  Thank you, Lisa.